At ETO doors, we’re not only concerned with exterior entryway doors and interior entryway doors (though they might be our favorite.) Our customers also know they can come to us first when it’s time to assess their closet door situation and choose something that not only works for them, but works perfectly for their home, increasing its livability, usability, style, and value.
Closet doors come in all shapes and sizes, and not every type will be a good fit for every situation. Let’s take a look at the different forms a closet door can take, and talk a little bit about what makes each type unique, including those that ETO specializes in.
Sliding Doors
Doors that swing open require quite a bit of floor space in order to function properly. On top of that, whatever floor space is in the path of a swinging door becomes generally useless, reserved for the smooth operation of the door. Small spaces can suffer when they have to accommodate a typical swinging door, too. You can probably recall apartments or houses where the bathroom door always came within centimeters of colliding with a bathroom countertop or nightstand.
Sliding barn doors can be a great solution to this, since they eliminate the need for open stretches of floor and don’t make small spaces feel even more cramped. Instead of sacrificing floor space, sliding barn doors use wall space.
If you’re not willing to sacrifice your wall space, which might host picture frames or other decor, a pocket sliding door is the best option. Pocket sliding doors make use of a cavity built into the wall, allowing a door slab to recede completely out of sight. This type of door assembly involves a much more complicated installation.
Bifold
There’s a good chance you grew up in a house with bifold closet doors. These doors are mounted on rails and open on both sides of a closet, folding as they do so.
Bifold closet doors are popular for a few good reasons. First, they save space; since each door folds in half as it opens, only half the space of a typical swinging closet door is used. Second, they are reasonably simple to install.
Some bifold doors are constructed with a slatted design that allows airflow into and out of a closet. These are known as louvered closet doors, and they look great in addition to preventing a musty closet.
However, it should be noted that bifold doors can easily come detached from their railings, which is the biggest reason many people choose to upgrade to sliding or swinging closet doors.
ETO’s Closet Doors
When it comes down to it, a swinging closet door, or a pair of them for the wider closet, may end up being what you need. If that’s the case, we’ve got you covered. As always, ETO recommends a solid wood door rather than a composite or chambered slab. This guarantees a durable door that will stand the test of time and frequent use.
We’ve got plenty of style options available in the narrow format commonly used for closet doors, like this stunning mahogany and frosted glass slab, or this minimalist white slab featuring aluminum strips. These door slabs can all be mounted on hinges for standard swinging action, but if you’re still attached to the idea of a sliding door, you also have the option of using any of them with a barn door assembly.
